Worlds Apart
by Hyruleepona
Summary: Story of OC traveling through Sinnoh with Paul. *I fail at summaries; sorry.* D: OCxPaul-VeilStoneShipping?
1. As a Child

Here's my first Pokemon FF. Sorry for the lame titles, I'm really bad with them. Yes, I will be using the dub names because it's Pokemon. Don't worry too much about character appearance descriptions; you'll get more thorough ones in about a chapter or two.

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Chapter 1 ~ As a Child

"I'm definitely going to get Charmander! No wait...Bulbasaur's really cool too! Aw but Squirtle's a turtle!"

Laura Woods sighed as she listened to her friend Ash Ketchum talk excitedly about his starter for the 3 time that morning. It was barely passed noon and he was already on a roll. It wasn't surprising though. Tomorrow, all the new trainers from Kanto that were 10 were going to get their first Pokemon from Professor Oak. Laura herself was excited but Ash was something else.

"Yeah yeah, we know Ashy-boy," Said Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson. They were all relaxing in Professor Oak's lab and Gary looked right at home. He was lying on the couch with his eyes closed but still keeping an ear out to the conversation. Ash glared at him.

"Well at least I've been studying lately. You haven't done anything, Gary."

"That's because I don't need to," Gary replied smugly. "I know more about Pokemon then you will in years."

"You just wait Gary!" Ash fired back. "I'm going to be the greatest Pokemon Master!"

"Yeah, yeah. We hear it every day Ash," Laura said, glancing at Gary and pointing at her head with her hand in the shape of a gun. Gary grinned and looked back at Ash, who naturally wasn't paying attention. The door to the lab suddenly burst open to reveal a blonde boy of about 16 standing with a guitar and Electabuzz at his side.

"Oh Yeah!" he shouted stringing his guitar. Laura slammed her head on the table. The boy grinned.

"What's wrong Sis? Don't like your brother's music?" he asked.

"NO!" she shouted with her voice muffled. "Now shut up and quit."

"No way," he said waving his hand. "Me and Electabuzz are going to the top! Electrifying Rock Stars!"

"Ele!" said Electabuzz happily. Laura looked up at him.

"Come on Electabuzz. You don't honestly think Kyle's music is good do you?"

Electabuzz blinked and nodded hastily but shook his head when Kyle turned around. Laura grinned. Kyle seated himself comfortably on a chair and looked at the three.

"So kiddies, ready for your journey?" he asked.

"OH YEAH!" Ash said jumping in the air. Like his sister, Kyle stared at him.

"Hey take it easy Ash," he said seriously. "Pokemon training is not easy. You need to work really hard. There's a lot of tough trainers out there, especially in-"

He stopped talking when Laura gave him a warning look. He wasn't supposed to mention that...

"-in the other regions," He continued smoothly. "Not everyone can just claim a Pokemon and be the best."

"Like you, Kyle?" said Laura. "You just sit around and write fail songs."

"They are not fail songs, little missy," said Kyle wagging is finger. "They are amazing songs!" Right on cue, he picked up his guitar and began to string it again, signaling for Ash, Gary and Laura to leave. As soon as he was ready, Kyle looked up to find the room empty. Unabashed, he began to sing with Electabuzz, who was sending out jolts of electricity happily.

Laura lied back on her bed, staring at an old photo. It was the only thing she had left of her former life, of her old home. She was sitting in the middle, a boy with purple hair at her left and one of about 13 standing behind him. To her right was a girl with short pink hair and behind her was a boy about the same age with spiky red hair and vivid green eyes. They were her oldest friends, the ones she had always been able to rely on until 3 years ago. 3 years ago...everything changed.

Her bitch of a mother, Madison, had forced them all to leave their former home because she didn't approve of these 4 kids. She had used the excuse that her husband John, who wanted to be a Professor, would do better in Pallet Town. Unfortunately that had worked out. He wasn't quite at Professor Oak's level but that was to be expected. Oak had plenty of experience. John had much more to learn.

Laura hadn't laid eyes on these four in years. She wasn't exactly sure how she had managed to make it this far. Perhaps it was Ash and Gary. As annoying as Ash might be at times he was a competitive rival, something she had been dearly hoping for when she arrived. Gary was more knowledgeable than Ash, seeing as he was Oak's grandson. Usually she would go to Oak's lab just about every day to learn more about Pokemon. Anything that would get her to leave her home was alright with her.

No, it wasn't her brother or her dad. It was that bitch of a mom. Madison was just about the most self-centered bitch you could ever come across and it was unfortunate that such a nice guy like John fell in love with her. The only regrets he carried was the resentment between the mother and daughter. Madison had rejected everything about Laura early on. Her wish was for Laura to love clothes, fashion, cuteness, pink - just about everything Laura hated and she loved. Madison also disapproved of Pokemon, for reasons no one pursued, so it was a mystery as to why the hell she married John, which they later figured out was of course for the reputation. A good looking guy that's a Professor gets a lot of attention.

Laura now placed the photo back on the table near her bed. She wasn't teary, she just felt empty. She needed her best friend back. He was the only person who could understand her. She never had to say much; he would just know. And tomorrow...tomorrow she would be that much closer to seeing him again. Just a few more years and the promise he made to her so long ago would come true...

The next day Laura and Gary were up early, at least early compared to Ash's standards. It was just about 10 a.m. and they were waiting in Professor Oak's lab. Ash was still sleeping and no one tried to hard to wake him up. The Oak was out in the field with John, tending to the Pokemon as they did so daily. They had told Laura and Gary to wait until they had the basic starters ready. The two had been waiting for 10 minutes but it felt longer.

5 minutes later, the two Professors returned with a boy and 3 small Pokemon following behind them. The boy was Matt, the fourth trainer for Pallet Town. He was the quiet but slightly intimidating type. He usually kept to himself but knew plenty about Pokemon. Laura waved to him brightly, her typical way of greeting him since it really wasn't his type, and he merely stared at the ceiling. Laughing slightly, Laura averted her gaze to the three small Pokemon, which the Professors were now placing on a table and then motioned the kids to approach them.

"Well today's the big day," Said Oak smiling. "You three are going to pick your first Pokemon! Now remember this is very important. Your first Pokemon is very special. You'll have a different bond with them than you will with any other. This here," he pointed at the green one. " Is Bulbasaur. Now as you know he's a grass type. Very handy for the first few Gyms you'll be coming across."

"Then there's Charmander." An orange lizard like creature waved to them and wagged his tail. "Charmander is a fire type, a popular one too. And this is Squirtle," A small blue turtle popped his head of his shell and looked at them. "Squirtle's a water type and will be handy when you're traveling."

Oak turned around and looked at them expectantly.

"Well, ladies first? What say you, Laura?" Laura looked at him startled but walked over to the Pokemon nonetheless. She looked at them all intently.

They were all pretty cute. She petted Charmander's head cautiously, keeping an eye out for it's flame. Squirtle had a habit of hiding in it's shell and then popping out unexpectedly. She then laid her eyes on Bulbasuar. Bulbasaur...her reminded her of another Pokemon she wanted so long ago, yet another bit of her past.

"You remind me of someone," she said quietly to him. Bulbasaur looked at her blankly and then smiled happily.

"Bulba!" Laura picked him up and hugged him.

"I'm going with Bulbasaur," she said. Her father looked at her and smiled slightly sadly. He knew why she chose Bulbasaur...she would never forget that incident.

"Well, I'll take Squirtle," said Gary.

"Squirtle Squirt!" Squirtle jumped onto Gary's soulder happily and grinned widely.

"Charmander it is," said Matt. Charmander walked over to him and looked up at him. They stared at each other for a few moments and then high fived each other. They all blinked.

"Well I'll be off now then," said Matt turning to leave.

"Uh, so soon Matt?" Professor Oak asked. "Don't you think you should stay for a bit?"

"I'd like to get started on my journey," said Matt. "Charmander wants to be strong, right?"

"Mander Char!" Charmander agreed.

"Well alright then," said Oak smiling. "Just be sure to look out for one another."

Charmander did sort of a salute and followed his trainer out. Oak then turned to Gary and Laura.

"What about you two?" he asked.

"I think I'll let Bulbasaur have a look around and we can get to know each other better," said Laura, patting his head.

"I guess I'll wait until Ash finally decides to get up," said Gary. "But if he takes too long I'll set off. Don't want to keep the girls waiting too long."

Laura rolled her eyes. Gary always took his fangirls with him wherever he went. She found them annoying, always cheering so loudly out has victories.

"Come on Bulbasaur," she said. "Why don't we have a look around town?"

"Bulba!"

"That's Gary's house, that's Matt to the right, and over there's Ash's house." Laura pointed out the houses as they passed them. She stopped and turned around when Bulbasaur didn't respond. It turned out that he had decided to chase a Butterfree that had been flying nearby.

"Oh Bulbasaur don't," she said running up to catch him. "You don't chase Butterfree. They're very gentle creatures."

Bulbasaur looked at her blankly and shrugged. Laura carried him the rest of the way home, making sure he wouldn't run off again.

They walked on for a few more minutes until they arrived at Laura's home. She opened the door quietly and peered inside. The room was deserted. She assumed her brother was sleeping but as for her mother...Thankfully she wasn't there.

"Come on in Bulbasaur," she motioned. Bulbasaur stepped inside and looked around the house in awe. There was nothing too impressive about it but Bulbasaur had never seen something like a house before.

"You wait down here Bulbasaur while I got upstairs and grab my bag, okay?"

Bulbasaura nodded and Laura hurried upstairs. While he waited for his trainer, Bulbasaur begin to explore the house. An irresistible aroma reached his nose and he followed it to kitchen where he found an enormous white machine, a fridge. Bulbasaur tried to pry it open with his hand but could barely even reach it. Staring at it furiously, he suddenly extended vines out of his bulb and grabbed the handle. The fridge opened, but did so rather noisily. Containers crashed to the ground from the force of how Bulbasaur opened it and made enough noise to attract a certain bitch's attention.

Madison stepped out from a room and looked at Bulbasaur in disgust. She was a pretty woman, slender with shoulder length blonde hair but with an attitude like poison.

"What are you doing here you little freak?" She said coldly to Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur stared at her and began to tear up. Why was the person yelling at him? Where was that nice brown haired girl? But right on cue Laura hurried downstairs, placing her bag over her shoulder. She stared at the scene.

"Dammit," She whispered.

"So," her mother said turning around. "This is the thing you've chosen? This is what you're wasting your life on? If you would just listen to me you might even be successful at something but if you keep this up you'll just be worthless."

"Successful at being a bitch?" Laura shot back. "Do you honestly think anyone would want to be like you? And don't you dare say anything to Bulbasaur." She picked him up and wrapped her arms around him tightly and walked to the door.

"You should be glad now Mom. You won't have to live with the daughter you hate so much." Laura slammed the door behind her as she left, still fuming at the nerve of her mother. Madison merely shrugged and returned to her room to finish applying her make up for the day.

Laura placed Bulbasaur back on the ground and began walking.

"Don't worry about her Bulbasaur," She said gently. "We won't be seeing her again."

Bulbasaur nodded and continued to walk on, still trying to understand what was going on. Apparently his trainer and her mother did not get along well at all. Her mother seemed to resent Pokemon and disapproved of her becoming a Trainer. He shook his head and walked on as they arrived at Oak's lab. There was a commotion near the front gate. Ash and a crowd of people were being shocked by a small electric Pokemon. Laura and Bulbasaur walked closer for a better look.

"Wow-that sure was-powerful-" Ash stuttered as he tried to recover from the shock.

"Uh you okay Ash?" Laura asked uncertainly. Ash rubbed his head and looked at her. His eye fell on Bulbasaur.

"AHHH!" he shouted. "So you're the one that got Bulbasaur!"

"Yeah," she said slowly. "Matt got Charmander and Gary got Squirtle. What's the big deal?"

"Nothing! I just got a better Pokemon than all of you, Pikachu!"

Pikachu turned out to be the small Pokemon that had shocked the crowd. It was a striped yellow Pokemon that seemed rather laid back, but also a bit too cute for her liking.

"I'd ask you for a battle now Ash," said Laura uncertainly. "But it doesn't look like Pikachu would do anything you said. Maybe after you've earned a few badges."

"You're leaving now?"

"Well Matt left ages ago and Gary just did. Might as well."

"You just wait! I'll beat all three of you someday!" he said jumping up determinedly, still in his pajamas, which his mother pointed out. Laura smiled but walked off. Ash might be a competent opponent one day but at the rate he was going, it was going to take awhile. She motioned to Bulbasaur and the two walked off to Route 1 to being their long journey.

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**A/N: And that's that. I've had this typed up for awhile, just never got around to posting it. Reviews I'd like but if you're going to bash me don't bother; you're just going to give us all a lot of unwanted grief. Next one will be up…I have no idea when. It's typed up, I just need to proof read it again. If you're confused about something, please let me know and I will explain if it should be.**


	2. Permanent Scars

**A/N**: Yep, believe it or not slacker's here with a new chapter.

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**Chapter 2 ~ Permanent Scars**

"Use Poison Sting Weedle!"

Bulbasaur jumped out of the way easily and grinned.

"Nice one Bulbasuar," Laura called out. "Now fire a Leech Seed!"

"Bulba!" he responded as a seed shot out of his bulb. It soared over to Weedle and landed right on its head. Weedle blinked for a moment but then began to cower as vines erupted from the seed and began to drain its energy.

"Hang in there Weedle!" its Trainer called out. "Try to use String Shot!"

Weedle obediently shot out a sticky thread but Bulbasaur dodged it again. His feat had barely touched the ground when Bulbasaur shot forward and Tackled Weedle directly. Weedle tried to scramble back to its feet but collapsed after another jolt from the Leech Seed.

"Aw man," Weedle's Trainer moaned as he scurried over to the tiny Pokemon.

"Alright Bulbasaur!" Laura shouted joyfully as she ran to hug her Pokemon.

_We now find our Trainer and Pokemon training for their Pewter City Gym battle. The two have been winning consecutive battles for a few days now and are on a roll._

"Wow, that was great," the boy said as he approached the two. "I'd heard there were going to be some new Trainers headed this way and thought I might be able to catch myself some wins. How long have you two been together?"

"Bulba!"

"He says 'Three Days!'," Laura translated. The boy started.

"You understood him?"

"Well, of course… Can't you?"

"No way," the boy replied clueless. "Pokemon speak a completely different language than we humans do. Pokemon Researchers have been trying to understand them for years but it's been really slow."

Laura glanced down at Bulbasaur who returned her blank expression. It didn't seem _that _difficult to communicate.

Night was approaching as Laura and Bulbasaur began to make their way to Viridian City's Pokemon Center. Bulbasaur insisted on stopping to watch the sunset. Laura had just gone over to pick him up when a long shadow was cast in front of her. She stood up and found herself face to face with a vaguely familiar tall, blonde woman. She had very long, wavy hair that went well passed her knees. Part of it covered half of her face and curled at her shoulders. She was dressed in a long, black dress and had a slightly intimidating aura but smiled at the two gently. Then something clicked.

"You're Cynthia." Laura stated. Cynthia smiled.

"Yes, I am. And you're Laura Woods."

"How do you - "

"Oh, that little group you made. What was it, the Sin-"

"NO! Don't say it!" Laura said as she clamped her hands to her ears. "That stupid name wasn't even our idea."

"Alright, alright, we'll drop the subject," Cynthia laughed.

"So, what brings you to Kanto, Cynthia? Shouldn't Trainers be queuing up to battle you?"

"I wish," Cynthia said wistfully. "I don't know if this is a good thing or not but it seems like our Gym Leaders and Elite 4 are just a bit too strong; so I've just been traveling around lately.

"Weaker Trainers perhaps?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. But they might be expecting too much of themselves. Over confidence isn't exactly the best thing."

"Hm," Laura sighed as she thought of a certain friend that had just set out with a Pikachu.

"Say Laura," Cynthia said suddenly. "What would you say to having a battle with me?"

"W-what?" Laura stuttered. "I'll I've got is Bulbasaur."

"Don't worry about winning. I just want to say how well the two of you can battle together."

"Bulba," Bulbasaur agreed.

"You _want _to battle?" Laura asked in disbelief. "You realize that most of Cynthia's Pokemon are probably at 5 or more times the level you're at, don't you?"

Bulbasaur stared at her in shock. His eyes began to water until Laura sighed. Bulbasaur never really cried; he just knew his Trainer would always give in to his tears. It had worked the last few days in a row after all.

"Oh, alright," Laura said grumpily, allowing Bulbasaur to jump around happily.

Cynthia lead the Trainer and Pokemon to the back of the Pokemon Center where a battlefield awaited. The two Trainers took their places at separate ends of the field. Laura knelt down to Bulbasaur.

"You ready?" she asked, a slight bit of worry in her eyes.

"Bulba," he replied determinedly.

"Okay then," she whispered. "We're ready Cynthia!" she called.

"Garchomp - Battle Dance!" Cynthia called as she flung a Pokeball onto the field. Out of it appeared a large and dark, shark-like dragon with rather short wings. Bulbasaur jumped back a little nervously but recovered and stood his ground.

"Laura, you may have the first attack," Cynthia said.

"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed."

Bulbasaur swiftly jumped up and began it's typical opening move, firing a seed of its bulb. It landed directly on a mark on Garchomp's head and ensnared it in vines. However, this attack, that normally made a large impact on previous battles, didn't seem to faze Garchomp or Cynthia at all. In fact, Garchomp's head was drooping steadily as though it was about to doze off. Bulbasaur tapped his foot impatiently on the ground.

"Oh forget about, Bulbasaur," Laura said. " Use this to your advantage. Try a Vine Whip."

Bulbasaur extended two long and thick vines out from the sides of his bulb and began to whack Garchomp as hard as he could. This attack would have normally done some serious to damage to a Pokemon that was at Bulbasaur's level but here, it hardly did any more damage then a feather would have. Bulbasaur tried Vine Whip a few more times but ended up achieving nothing more than wearing himself out.

"Okay, Garchomp," Cynthia called. "It's time to end this battle."

Garchomp suddenly opened it's eyes sharply. It let out a loud roar and tossed the vines around it away and then began to advance on Bulbasaur. Garchomp suddenly leapt high up into the air until it was barely visible, then came plummeting down at astonishing speed. Bulbasaur seemed to be momentarily immobilized.

"Oh no, not Dragon Rush," Laura muttered bitterly. "Hang in there Bulbasaur…"

Garchomp collided with Bulbasaur with a powerful impact, shaking the ground and filling the area with smoke. The dragon shot out from the smoke swiftly and returned to its Trainer's side unscathed. Bulbasaur, however, had fainted on the spot.

"Bulbasaur!" Laura shouted as she ran to him. Kneeling down, she cradled the Pokemon in her arms. Looking down at her helpless Pokemon, Laura felt something strange… for the first time in years, the warmth of tears.

"Return, Garchomp," Cynthia was saying as her Pokemon returned to its Pokeball. She glanced over at the young Trainer. Perhaps feeling a little guilty, she went over to attempt to comfort her.

"I'm sorry about that last attack," she said gently. "I guess not battling for so long made me forget to think about my opponent's level. Bulbasaur should be fine if you take him to a Pokemon Center."

"I know," Laura said stiffly. Noticing her tone, Cynthia looked around uncomfortably, waiting for the awkward moment to pass.

"Well, I wish you two the best of luck here in Kanto. If you ever decide to come back to Sinnoh, I'd love to have a rematch." And with that she left.

Laura carried the still unconscious Bulbasaur to the Pokemon Center, thinking of nothing more than this loss. As she handed him to Nurse Joy she wondered - just what would happen to Bulbasaur now? He had been on a winning streak for so long and suddenly got a loss smacked in the face. Of course Laura had never expected to win but she hadn't thought about the consequences either.

The young Trainer looked out the window of the room she was staying in for the night sadly. The sky had darkened considerably and a light drizzle had started. She was starting to think becoming a Trainer was a mistake. Should she have really listened to her mother? Give up on being a Trainer? Throw away all the knowledge and memories she had gained over the years?

She shook her head violently. One loss and she was already losing it. What would he say if he saw her now? _"Pathetic." _Yep, typical guy. She figured there was no point staying up late. They would be venturing through Viridian Forest tomorrow at any rate. She slowly drifted off to sleep, amidst confused thoughts and a tangle of old memories with fragmented images of her helpless Pokemon…

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**A/N: **As you can probably tell, I'm not really a fan of Cynthia. :/ And I hate Garchomp. One of my least favorite Pokemon. I don't _hate_ Cynthia but she's not a favorite. Don't worry, I won't be bashing her anymore. It was more of just for you to understand the shock of losing, although it's highly expected. Anyhow, review, give me your opinions and hoped you enjoyed. :]


	3. A Golden Treasure

**A/N: **Back again with another chapter. I apologize for the fiascos with the last two, I don't really know what happened and I'm trying to fix it. If you do know what's up, pm me because, heh, I'm kind of clueless. Anyhow, enjoy this last chapter of Kanto.

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Chapter 3 ~ A Golden Treasure

Laura trotted timidly behind Bulbasaur, maintaining a slight distance between them but keeping a watchful eye out as well. Bulbasaur had not been the same since their battle with Cynthia. He was no longer the curious, active Pokemon he had once been. He had become far more distant, refusing to stay in the company of others and had even gone as far in one battle as to disobey his own Trainer. Laura had hoped the fresh green and lively atmosphere of Viridian Forest would cheer up her Pokemon a bit but to her dismay, Bulbasaur only seemed interested in finding a route that would lead him to isolation.

Bulbasaur suddenly stopped walking abruptly. He had heard a soft, frail cry from somewhere…there! Crawling weakly from behind a bush was a small golden colored Pokemon.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur called to his Trainer. Laura hurried over to the little Pokemon just in time to see it collapse.

"What the," she muttered as she picked it up gently. "Bulbasuar, this is a Caterpie, isn't it?"

"Bulba," he nodded firmly.

Still doubtful, Laura pulled out her Pokedex and scanned the Pokemon.

"Caterpie, the tiny worm Pokemon. Caterpie are very common in forests and often one of the first Pokemon a rookie trainer obtains."

Laura compared Dex's picture of Caterpie to the one sitting in her lap. The two looked identical except for the fact that the one in the picture was pure gold while the picture's was a forest green.

"Maybe we should give Dad a call when we get to Pewter City, what do you say?" she asked Bulbasaur.

He nodded curtly and resumed his silent trek.

After wandering around for some hours, the party of three came across a Weedle and miraculously a Pikachu. Bulbasaur fought ferociously against both, making it very easy to catch the two Pokemon.

After a few more hours of wandering through the forest, the group began to reach the end of Viridian Forest, judging by the shortage of wildlife. As they passed through the gate, the group entered the bustling Pewter City. Here and there in the parks, young trainers could be spotted battling with Pokemon they had just caught. Majority of the buildings constructed were made from a thick dark colored stone, perhaps as a reference to the city's name. All too soon, a familiar boy greeted Laura as the neared the Pokemon Center.

"Laura!" Gary said as he walked towards her. "Finally made it. I was starting to think Ash might have beaten you. What took so long?"

"Um…something came up," she said hurriedly; she was not keen on confessing about her humiliating defeat just yet.

"So uh, have you won any gym badges yet?"

"Sure have," Gary replied with a smug smile as he held up a small, pewter colored badge. "About an hour ago actually. My Pokemon are resting right now. We're going to head out tonight at the latest for Cerulean. You?"

"Think we'll do some training first and then battle tomorrow."

Gary's eyes suddenly widened as he finally spotted the golden Pokemon in Laura's arms.

"Whoa! Laura, just _where_ did you get that?"

"Viridian Forest? It was wandering around injured."

"But that color…it's not right."

"I know, that's why I was going to give Dad and Professor Oak a call," Laura replied as she pushed open the door to the Pokemon Center. "I'm hoping they might know something about this."

She took a seat next a P.C. and dialed a number into the phone next to it. After a few moments she found herself staring at the back of a head.

"Hm? Who's there?" the head asked.

"Um, Professor," Laura said, restraining herself as Gary laughed in the background. "You kind of have to _look _at the camera -"

"Oh? Ah!" Professor Oak said as he swiveled around in his chair. "Laura! How good to hear from you. I just got a call from Ash saying that he arrived in Viridian City."

"Isn't Ash lagging behind a bit?" Gary asked.

"Ah, you're here too, Gary. Yes, maybe a bit but Ash'll learn. So, did you need something Laura?"

"Yeah, two things actually. I caught you a Weedle and Pikachu," she said as she held up the Pokeballs. "Want me to send them to you?"

"Oh yes," Oak said happily. "You know Laura, you're the only one that's sent me any Pokemon. Ash has barely started but I'm disappointed in you, Gary. I was hoping you would have sent me something."

"Sorry, Gramps. I've been trying to get a good team together."

"Don't worry, Professor," Laura said. "I'll send you some more Pokemon. But I'll be rotating my team around a bit."

"That's fine. Just put those two Pokeballs there." Oak pointed to a capsule like object that had just enough room for one Pokeball. Laura placed Weedle's Pokeball in the spot and almost immediately, jets of light surround the Pokeball. In a moment it had disappeared. She did the same with the other and had similar results. Oak held up the two Pokeballs happily.

"I'll just let these two out and about," he said as he got up but then turned around. "Oh yes, what else did you need?"

"Well I wanted to ask you and Dad something. Is he around?"

"He's working in the field right now but I'll go get him and let these two," he gestured to the Pokeballs. "settle in."

He disappeared for a moment but returned quickly with Laura's father, John Woods. He was a good natured man who always had a kind expression on his face, a sharp contrast to his wife's.

"Laura!" he said smiling broadly. "How's my little girl doing?"

"I'm fine, Dad," she said a little embarrassedly. "This is what I wanted you two to take a look at." She held up the Caterpie she had been holding, who finally woke up and looked around curiously. "Strange color for a Caterpie, isn't it?"

The two professors merely stared at the Pokemon in aghast. John blinked a few times, shook his head and peered more intently. Professor Oak just scratched his head, saying, "Are you absolutely sure that's not a Weedle, Laura?"

"Yes Professor, Dexter said so. Any ideas on how this works out?"

"Sorry, not a clue. Actually, there have been some reports of oddly colored Pokemon but no one's ever been able to figure them out and they certainly are very rare. Will you be keeping it?"

"Well, I hope to," Laura said as Caterpie looked at her blankly. The little Pokemon scurried up her arm and settled on top of her hat happily. Laura looked up to Caterpie and asked, "What do you say? Would you like to travel around with me and Bulbasaur, Caterpie?"

Caterpie squealed happily and nodded. Grinning, Laura held up a Pokeball. Caterpie stretched forwards and tapped the silver button. A beam of red light shot out, surrounded Caterpie and then sucking her in. The ball fell back into Laura's hand where it shook three times and then became still.

"Congratulations Laura!" Oak said. "Your first Pokemon in the Kanto Region."

"It's not too powerful though, is it?" Gary asked smugly.

"You just wait Gary," Laura said she let Caterpie back out. "We'll train hard and one day we'll beat you. Right Caterpie?"

Caterpie squealed happily again and wiggled her little legs as she resumed her spot on Laura's hat.

"Ah, see Laura?" John said. "You've got rivals here too."

"I suppose," she said, although she had an awfully bitter expression on her face. Oak looked around rather nervously and muttered something about needing to water berries. John looked as though he regretted speaking. Gary simply looked dumbfounded.

"Well I think I've taken enough of your time," John said hastily. "Good luck to both of you and give Ash my regards if you run into him. Take care."

"Yeah, okay," Laura said. "Bye Dad."

"See ya Professor," Gary said as Nurse Joy walked over.

"Gary?" she asked as she held out a Pokeball. "I'm all done with your Pokemon."

"Thanks Nurse Joy," he said, pocketing the ball. "Best be off now, Laura."

"Oh, okay. Good luck with your Cerulean battle."

Gary raised his hand in a sort of casual salute as he left the building silently.

"Well, it's our turn for a badge now," Laura said to Caterpie. "Now don't take this badly but I don't think you should battle in this gym."

Oh, Caterpie took it badly alright. Her eyes began to water and in an instant, she had begun to bawl loudly.

"I'm sorry!" said an alarmed Laura as she tried to calm her down. Bulbasuar, who had been sitting quietly next to Laura's chair, now looked up in utmost annoyance and what even looked like a little rage.

"BULBA!" he roared, drowning out Caterpie's wailing. Caterpie stopped abruptly but her eyes seemed to water even more.

"Bulbasaur, how could you?" Laura scolded. Bulbasaur glared at her and growled but settled back down; he didn't dare talk back to his own Trainer.

As Laura later took her Pokemon to Nurse Joy, she couldn't take her mind off of Bulbasaur. He seemed so different now, ever since his defeat. True, she had only known her Pokemon for a few days but that had been enough for her to truly understand his feelings and personality. Bulbasaur was an energetic little guy with a competitive spirit mixed in with some recklessness. Bulbasaur would never back down from a battle, no matter what the disadvantage. And how ironic that this reckless spirit would bring his downfall.

Laura spent the next two hours taking a tour of Pewter City in a group. They had stopped by the Pewter Museum where ancient Pokemon Fossils were on exhibit. However, she had been too distracted to truly appreciate their beauty. She shook her head violently. Was she honestly going to let this single loss get to her? Pokemon battles were supposed to be _fun_. A trainer and Pokemon working together, wasn't that what was important? Besides, she had already known she wouldn't win that battle. Not up against the Champion at any rate.

_I'll battle again,_ Laura thought later as she took her Pokemon back from Nurse Joy. Caterpie wiggled its legs happily and Bulbasaur even allowed her to pet his head. _No,_ we'll _battle again. And this time, we'll win._

* * *

**A/N: **Yep, shiny Caterpie. =D Was my first shiny and I love it. Very pretty when it evolves. Reviews are welcomed; encourages me to write more and gives me an idea as to how many people are actually reading it.


	4. A Reunion and Rivalry

**A/N: **Explanation time. I originally intended to have my character travel through all the regions, but I got lazy by Pewter City and I figured it'd be too boring. So we're going to skip ahead 5 years, after my character has gone through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and the Battle Frontier. She's also competed through the leagues with Ash and whatnot. I think that's all you really need to know. Everything else will be explained eventually. And as you can probably tell, I love Paul's hair. Once again, don't worry about stuff that seems like you missed something, because you didn't. Past and such will be explained later. I'm actually working on that one right now.

Referenced episode: Pokemon DP Episode 6; Different Strokes for Different Blokes

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter 4 ~ A Reunion and Rivalry

Paul kicked the ground impatiently. He had been waiting an hour for her to show up. He had whittled away most of it with extra training but the 15 year old with astonishing purple hair and dark onyx eyes was starting to get slightly worried. It wasn't like her to be late. He had checked the nearby Pokemon Center for any messages, but there had been none. What could possibly be keeping her? If she was in trouble…no. She could take care of herself. She had always been adamant about that.

Suddenly he heard a cry and swiveled around. It sounded familiar…oh. It was that kid, Ash something. He had battled with him recently but it hadn't turned out as he wanted. They had tied, his Elekid versus Ash's Pikachu. Chimchar had strongly disappointed him; not even able to take out an _Aipom_. Perhaps Chimchar just needed a rematch.

Paul looked around once more. She wasn't anywhere in sight. She wouldn't be difficult to spot, always flying around on that beast of hers. He turned on his heel and walked in the direction of the cry. In a clearing, he spotted them.

"Cut it out Turtwig!" Ash shouted in pain.

"Turtwig!" the small Pokemon said in a muffled voice. He was happily biting down on Ash's large head but he let go when he spotted the newcomer. Ash turned around when he heard footsteps.

"Boy Paul, you sure love sneaking around, don't you?" he said.

"I'm just out here doing a little training," Paul replied indifferently, not even taking note of Ash's companions. "Am I seeing things, or have you gotten yourself a Turtwig?"

"Yeah, you're not seeing things," Ash said proudly as he smiled down at the Pokemon. "We're talking strong!"

"Doesn't look like it to me," he smirked.

"Oh yeah?" Ash fired up immediately as Brock sighed. Typical Ash.

"Why don't we settle this in a battle?"

"Fine," said Paul as he reached for a Pokeball. "Our last match left a bad taste in my mouth and I want to give my friend here a chance for a little revenge."

Chimchar emerged from its Pokeball and took its place at its master's feet. It simply stared at Turtwig, who showed a battle face.

"We can do this, right Turtwig?" Ash asked spiritedly.

"Turt-wiig!"

"_Da-ad!_ I really have to go now. Can you speed things up?" A slender 15 year old girl with near waist length brown hair sighed loudly. Dressed in a dark blue sleeveless top, a red mini skirt, white tennis shoes and a white hat with a large brim, she twirled her yellow bag around her arm. It was just about noon and she had been up for quite a few hours already, preparing to meet someone. Unfortunately she had been unable to leave on time.

"I'm coming, Laura. I'm coming," her father called back. Laura waited impatiently for several more minutes until her father re-entered Professor Oak's lab. In his hands he carried a small, yellow and dark green Pokemon that fast asleep. She could just hear it say "Cyn…da…." as it snored away.

"Aw," Laura sighed as she stared at the little thing. "Hard to believe he's going to grow into such a powerful thing one day."

"Well, if anyone was the one to do it, it would be you," He smiled as he handed his daughter the small Pokemon along with a Pokeball. "Make sure you take care of him now, alright?"

"Don't worry, dad. I've dealt with baby Pokemon before. We'll be fine." She gently tapped the Pokemon's head with the ball and it was sucked inside of it. The ball shook three times in her palm and then became still.

"Don't forget these two either," he said as he handed her two more Pokeballs. "Now, have you got everything you need?"

"Course she does, Dad." A young man with long blonde hair entered the room and grinned. "Squirt's been getting ready to meet her man all morning, hasn't she?"

"Shut up, Kyle," Laura snapped. Boy, Kyle sure could be a nuisance when he wanted to.

"Whatever you say, squirt," her brother said as he patted her head. He looked down at her for a minute before handing her a small badge.

"Almost left this behind," he said quietly.

It was the Brave Symbol. She had recently acquired it from the Battle Frontier. There was nothing important about this one in particular, but more of what it meant to earn one and what _not _gaining it had meant to someone. Laura pocketed it silently.

"Good luck out there, squirt," Kyle winked as he straightened up and regained his usual personality. He and his father accompanied his little sister as she walked out of the lab and into the large field.

"Let's fly! Salamence!" Laura shouted as she tossed a Pokeball. A large and fierce looking dragon emerged from it, but he began to growl softly when she petted his large head and climbed on top.

"Make sure you take care of yourself," her father called.

"Don't worry, Dad," she reassured him. "Up, Salamence."

The large dragon began to beat its wings fiercely against the ground as he began to rise in the air. He hovered for a minute, and then sped off, disappearing rather quickly. Professor Woods waved happily, but lowered his arm a little sadly when they were out of sight. Kyle noticed.

"What's up, Dad?"

"I…I just don't know if I should have let her go," he said uncertainly. "She's been through quite a bit already, hasn't she?"

"She _wants _to go back," Kyle said quietly. "You remember how hard it was to get her to come. And in the end it wasn't even us who convinced her. If you think about it, she only came so she could go back."

"Chimchar, use Flame Wheel," Paul commanded.

Chimchar jumped in the air and became engulfed in flames as it sped towards the motionless Turtwig. Turtwig stood firmly, but went flying back from the force of the attack.

"Are you alright Turtwig?" Ash called. His Pokemon nodded firmly.

"Turtwig, why do you keep refusing to dodge? Use Razor Leaf!"

Turtwig leaped in the air and prepared to launch an attack when a large net swung down swiftly and grabbed it.

"Turtwig!" Ash shouted. "What the-"

He found himself staring at a familiar Meowth hot-air balloon.

"What!" he exclaimed in disgust. "Team Rocket?"

"Listen-is that twerp's frightened cry I hear?"

"It's speaking to me loud and clear."

"On the wind-"

"-Past the stars-"

"-In your ears!"

"Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

"Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place!"

"A rose by any other name is just as sweet!"

"When everything's worse, our work is complete."

"Ember!" Paul commanded.

"Ember?" Jessie questioned. Team Rocket looked around confusedly in time to see Chimchar firing an Ember attack right at them.

"You're ruining our battle," Paul said dismissively. "Get lost."

"Why the nerve!" Jessie shrieked. "James, educate the rude twerp on Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket," James started proudly. "We're the meanest, nastiest, evilest," his face slowly began to droop. "…weakest, cheapest…" He burst into tears.

"Way to tell 'em," Meowth glared at him.

"Never mind that," Jessie recovered from her disappointment. "We've got your Pikachu, twerp. There's nothing you can do to get it back."

"Pikachu? Pikachu's right here."

"Pika pika."

"Eh?" Team Rocket looked down in horror and saw that Ash was right. They had managed to catch Turtwig.

"Bah!" Jessie shouted as she rounded on James and Meowth. "Can't you two do _anything_ right?"

They cowered before her tall figure, conveniently not noticing a large and swift blur that had now appeared. It swiftly flew towards the net and cut through it, allowing Turtwig to leap into a girl's arms. The figure then flew down to where Ash and Paul were battling and landed smoothly. The girl jumped off of the giant dragon and Turtwig returned to his Trainer's side. The girl grinned.

"My, my," Laura laughed. "I come here and the first thing I see is Team Rocket again. I'll assume it was Pikachu they were after?"

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, Laura!" Ash said.

"Want to do the honors?"

"You bet. Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika CHU!" Pikachu leaped in the air and sent a powerful electric attack towards Team Rocket's giant balloon. They made their usual exit while the force from the balloon sent a sudden and powerful gust towards Laura, Paul and Ash. All three Trainers were knocked off of their feet and sent tumbling over the cliff.

Paul and Chimchar managed to skillfully navigate their way down the cliff to safety. Ash dove after Turtwig and was sent plunging into the water, but unharmed nonetheless. Laura managed to grab a hold of a branch on her way down. Salamence furiously dove down after his master and hovered below her as she released her grip and landed on his back.

"Thanks, Salamence," She patted his head gratefully. The two maneuvered down towards the small pool where Ash and Turtwig were stuck.

"Need a hand?" She grinned as they climbed up Salamence's tail, breathing heavily.

"Thanks, Laura. That's twice you've saved us." Salamence flew over to solid ground and landed smoothly and the two Trainers slid off of his back. Laura gave him a grateful hug around his neck as he growled happily and returned him to his Pokeball.

"Hey, ASH!" Dawn and Brock called. They were looking down at the three worriedly.

"Are you guys okay, Ash?" Dawn asked anxiously.

"Yeah, we're fine," Ash called back.

"Let's meet up at the edge of the forest," Brock called. "Oh, and it was nice to meet up with you again, Laura."

"You too, Brock," Laura grinned back. She turned around to see Paul, calmly standing with his back to a tree and his eyes locked on her. He gave her a look as though to say, "Let's _go_" impatiently. She rolled her eyes but hurried over nonetheless as Paul began to walk away. Ash ran up behind him.

"Hey, Paul. What're you doing?"

"Getting out of here." Laura laughed inwardly. Typical Paul.

"Why don't we all get out together?" Ash asked.

"That sounds stupid," Paul replied, still walking without looking back at Ash.

"What's so stupid about helping your friends out?" Ash asked indignantly.

"I don't need any help from a little kid like you," Paul shot at him and walked further. Laura made to follow him but Ash held her back.

"Laura, how do you know Paul?" he asked her suspiciously.

"Ah..." She hesitated a minute. "We're old friends."

"What! No way. Someone like _you _could never be friends with him."

"What makes you say that?" she asked as she placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look.

"You two are total opposites." At this, Laura pursed her lips and look at him a little sadly.

"We're not that different," she muttered as Paul called to her, "Are you coming or not?"

"Be right there," she called back as she ran over. "Hey Ash," she called back. "Keep an eye out for wild Stantler. This is Bewilder Forest, after all."

"Bewilder Forest?" Ash asked, thoroughly confused. "What's that?"

"If you're in this forest and you don't even know, you're pathetic," Paul said dismissively as he and Laura continued to walk on. (**A/N: **I never understood why Ash mysteriously disappeared originally so I'm not going to bother changing it)

"Did he tell you off for traveling with me?" Paul asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Not really," she replied. "Just said...he couldn't believe we actually knew each other, because we seem so different."

Paul smirked, but said nothing of it.

"Was he the one you wanted me to meet?" referencing to the day before the two had called to meet.

"Certainly is. I think you could learn a thing or two from him. He's not that bad of a Trainer, you know."

"Then tell me why he keeps the first Pokemon he gets."

"That's Ash Ketchum for you," Laura said, looking up and smiling. "He puts his whole heart into raising his Pokemon, not necessarily his brain. He always does whatever he can for them." Paul glanced at her. Something about that smile made him feel uncomfortable.

"So," Laura said briskly changing the subject. "How've things been with you?"

"Just been doing some training. I -"

Paul broke off when he heard a scream, though it sounded familiar.

"It's Ash," Laura sweatdropped. She walked back a bit, making sure Paul came with her. Sure enough, Ash and Turtwig were lying flat on the ground, apparently swimming or flying, with a herd of Stantler around them.

"Lame-o's," Paul said dismissively as he reached for a Pokeball. "Chimchar! Help out the losers with Ember!"

The orange monkey sprang out from its Pokeball and fired and Ember attack at the Stantler. The herd ran off in fright but another Stantler walked towards Chimchar. Chimchar flew at it with a powerful Flame Wheel attack, overpowering the Stantler and allowing Paul to hurl a Pokeball at it. The ball fell to the ground where it shook three times and then became motionless.

"Wow, Paul. Thanks a lot," Ash said.

"Yeah, whatever," Paul said indifferently as he picked up the ball and scanned it with his Pokedex. "Oh please. All this Stantler knows is a simple tackle. What a waste of time." He pushed the button on the ball and Stantler reappeared. "Get out."

"I thought that Stantler wanted to be friends," Ash said watching it walk away.

"Friends are just so...useless," Paul said as he turned to walk away. Laura shrugged at Ash and hurried after Paul.

"I wish you would stop giving him such a hard time," Laura said, after many more awkward moments passed. Paul made no response, much to Laura's displeasure. She stepped ahead and stood directly in front him, forcing him to stop.

"What?" he said warily.

"Why are being so rude to Ash? He's done nothing to you."

"...He's like Reggie," Paul finally responded. Laura looked at him helplessly. She had a feeling that was it. Truth be told, Ash _was_ much more like Paul's older brother than Paul himself was. But there was a key difference between the two; Ash would never, _never_ give up, no matter what the odds were. It was also that ignorance that often got him in trouble.

"Well, I think you need to give Reggie a chance too," she said as they arrived into a clearing. "He's just trying to learn more so he'll be prepared."

"It's been five years, Laura," Paul said angrily. "He should've tried again. He's not trying anymore, I know it."

Laura opened her mouth to counter but saw the look on her friends face and thought better of it. There was no point arguing.

"Any interest in Bewilder Forest?" she changed the subject again.

"Kind of… There are supposed to be some powerful Pokemon here, but I haven't seen -"

He was cut off again by a scream, this time three of them. Laura and Paul turned to see Ash, Brock and Dawn all running from a furious Ursaring.

"That powerful enough for you?" Laura asked, staring at the giant bear Pokemon apprehensively.

"Let's see," Paul responded as he let Chimchar out.

"Why won't this Ursaring stop chasing us?" Dawn was screaming.

"Come on, Ursaring! Give us a break!" Ash shouted.

"Look _out!" _Paul called to them.

Shocked as they were, the trio ran out of Ursaring's way and permitted Paul to begin his battle with it.

"Now Chimchar, Flame Wheel!" Paul commanded.

Reacting instantly, Chimchar jumped into the air and tackled into Ursaring. Ursaring stood its ground but was eventually consumed by the flames. Paul swiftly threw a Pokeball at it. The ball fell to the ground where it shook three times and became motionless.

"This could be useful to me," Paul murmured as he scanned the ball and then pocketed it. His eyes fell on Ash's Turtwig.

"Are you still holding onto that lame Turtwig?" He asked disgustedly.

"Why don't we have a rematch and I'll show you Turtwig's not weak!"

"Why would I bother wasting my time beating that thing again?"

"What's the matter, Paul?" Ash grinned slyly. "You _scared_?"

"Oh no," Laura facepalmed as Paul turned around slowly to stare at Ash.

"If you insist on making a fool of yourself, be my guest."

Paul and Ash stood facing each other with Chimchar and Turtwig, respectively.

"You can go first," Paul said.

"Turtwig, use Razor Leaf!" And the two began to battle fiercely.

**(A/N: You guys don't **_**really**_** want to go through this battle again do you? I'm just going to skip over it. )**

"This isn't a good match up for Turtwig," Dawn said worriedly. "Chimchar's a fire type and Turtwig's a grass type."

"If I know Ash, he'll think of something," Laura said easily. "But there's no doubt who the winner will be. You a new trainer, Dawn?"

"Kind of. I want to be coordinator!"

"Coordinator huh? Best of luck with that. Oh my," Laura said suddenly. Turtwig had latched itself onto Chimchar's head. Chimchar had jumped into one of the hole's it had dug in order to counter.

"Ash!" Brock shouted. "Turtwig can't dodge in there!"

"Turtwig, get out of the hole!" Ash panicked. There was a pause. Then flames erupted from every whole. Chimchar sprang out amidst flames and fired one last Ember attack at Turtwig. The impact sent Turtwig flying back to Ash where it remained motionless.

"We're done when _I _win," Paul smirked. "There's nothing to celebrate about beating pathetic." he said to Chimchar, for the Pokemon had starting dancing around happily at its victory. It hung its head sadly as it was returned to its Pokeball. He turned on his heel and walked away from the group without another word, leaving Ash visibly shaking in rage. Laura bit her lip as she looked at him sadly.

"Don't give up," she whispered to him as she ran to catch up with Paul.

"I still don't see what's so good about that kid," Paul said as they set up camp later that evening.

"You'll find out soon enough."

**A/N: **Ugh. Terrible ending. This chapter felt really boring to type up, except for the parts when I put in some original things. I'm sorry. :( Yes, I will be using some actual episodes and changing them up a bit, but only a couple. So remember to reviews. Reviews make me happy.


	5. Flaming Passion

**A/N: **I have this story posted up on another site and someone brought to my attention that Salamence's origin was unexplained. So sorry for that. Salamence was part of Laura's team in Hoenn and she kept him with her for transportation and because he's a kickass powerhouse. I'm also going to try to make my chapters a little longer because, well they seem kind of short to me. :/

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, Garchomp wouldn't be able to cover its eyes to negate attacks.

**Chapter 5 ~ Flaming Passion**

_A young girl dressed in a ghostly white dress ran from her house, tears stinging her eyes. She ran and ran until she reached the old tree, where she collapsed and sobbed even harder. She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head as small Pokemon approached her tentatively, but she paid them no attention. After sometime, a young boy dressed in a suit stepped out of the house. He watched the girl quietly before he too approached her and sat down next to her. She was no longer sobbing, but her shoulders still shook. Paul reached out an arm and pulled her into a hug, gently stroking her hair as she continued to quiver in his arms._

"_It's okay," he murmured. "It's not the end of the world yet."_

_Laura stopped shaking and pulled herself away from her friend to glare at him._

"_H-how can you say that?" she demanded, her face glazed with tears. "D-don't you even _care_?"_

"_Of course I care," he said patiently. "There's just…nothing we can do about it."_

_Laura sighed and wiped her tears away. She wrapped her arms around her knees and stared out at the lake the cliff overlooked. It was a terribly beautiful night. The lake almost seemed to glow from the light of the stars and full moon that were out. _

"_I just can't believe it won't work," she finally said. "We were going to have so much fun traveling together. You, me, Maylene, Michael and Wes. It was going to be so much fun…"_

_Paul shifted uncomfortably and tried his best to act normal. Laura looked at him suspiciously._

"_What?" she asked flatly._

"_Well…you see…" Paul shrank under her gaze. He sighed. "They weren't going to come with us, even if you weren't leaving."_

_Laura simply looked at him._

"_Why?"_

_He hesitated. "They decided it wasn't something for them. You know Maylene doesn't really like to travel. A-and she thought she'd try to become a Gym Leader. Wes and Michael wanted to raise Pokemon and battle…but not really travel around and get badges."_

_Laura bit her lip and allowed her brown hair to swing over her face. Her closest friends…She had been looking forwards to traveling together for about a year now. But now…they had decided not to come. It didn't make a difference. She wouldn't even _be _here._

"_Laura?" Paul called her name gently. She sniffed._

"_What?"_

"_I know you're upset…but _we _can still travel together."_

_She was silent as his words sunk in._

"_How?" she asked slowly. "I'm leaving in 3 weeks."_

"_Well, we can each go through Kanto, Johto and Hoenn on our own first. And we'll go through them at different times. I'll start with Johto and the Hoenn and Kanto and you can start with Kanto and then Johto and Hoenn. That way, we won't get in each other's way while we're competing. Then when it's time for Sinnoh, we'll meet up again and travel together."_

"_It'd be at least 3 years before we saw each other again," she said. "And…what if you forget?" she asked in small voice, still thinking of her friends. Paul frowned. He took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly._

"_I promise I'll wait for you," he said firmly and quietly. She looked up at him, her expression unreadable. Then, without warning, she flung her arms around him and pulled him into a bone breaking hug._

"_Laura!" he yelled as he fell back. "Hey! Easy now."_

_She just giggled as she hugged him tighter. _

_~/~_

_Paul was standing by the old tree, dressed in casual clothes and watching the sunset. An orange glow was coming from the lake, reflecting the huge sun that was now setting. He looked to his left to see a girl in a t-shirt and shorts running towards him. She stopped about a foot away and stared down at her feet quietly._

"_Um…," she began. She looked up and found that he was staring back at her. "I'm leaving now…"_

_He looked at her for another minute before approaching her hesitantly. He took her hand in his for a moment before pulling her in a tight hug. A flowery scent tickled his nose as he held her close. She was leaving…she was really leaving…_

_Laura pulled away from him and looked at him directly. She was not tearful. Her eyes weren't even watery. She seemed to have accepted that she was leaving her friends, her home, all of them behind. She tore her blue eyes away from his onyx ones and walked towards the old tree. She placed a hand on the trunk and sighed._

"_I'm really going to miss this old tree," she said as she looked up at it wistfully. "Always had the best Razz Berries."_

_Paul grinned as he reached up and plucked a bunch and handed it to her._

"_You know, Veilstone's not the only place with Razz Berries," he said. She smiled at him brightly before popping a berry into her mouth._

"_I know, but the ones from this tree were always the sweetest."_

_Paul tugged at her hand and gestured back the way she had come._

"_We should go," he murmured reluctantly. She bit her lip and nodded. _

_They walked in silence back along the path Laura had come, winding up at the ferry dock. A small group of people awaited them; a girl their age with short pink hair, a boy their age with spiky red hair and green eyes, an older boy with grayish hair and yellow eyes, Paul's older brother, Laura's older brother and their families. Laura dropped Paul's hand as she ran to Maylene and the two hugged each other tightly. _

"_Laura, don't forget us!" Maylene said to her with tears swimming in her eyes. Laura bit her lip as she looked at her sadly and nodded, then received a hug from Michael as well._

"_Laura," he began as he looked at her with watery eyes. Laura's face cracked into a grin._

"_Aw, Michael, you can't start crying," she said to him brightly. He wiped his eyes and nodded at her. Wes placed a hand on her shoulder._

"_Here," he said in a low voice as he handed her a small package and pulled her in a hug. "Open it…when you get home." He patted her head and she nodded, flashing them all another one of her bright smiles._

"_Come on, Laura," her father said softly as walked into the ship. Laura's smile disappeared as her expression changed to a grim one as she looked at her friends for the last time. She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice refused. Her brother came and gripped her shoulder tightly as he steered her onto the boat. The foursome jogged along until they reached the deck of the boat. Laura emerged from the boat, running towards them. She leaned against the rail to take one last look at them. _

"_L-laura…" Paul suddenly whispered his voice hoarse. He had unintentionally walked forwards with his arm stretched out. Laura's eyes widened but she reached out her hand to grasp his. The sapphire eyes met the onyx ones as the others looked on. Paul felt something strange…he was not used to this feeling….what was it? All he knew, he did want to see her leave. And immediately, the boat shuddered as it began to pull away and Laura's hand slipped out of his. She looked back at him, surprisingly without tears in her eyes. Instead of speaking, she raised her arm and waved to them as the ship pulled away. Paul raised his arm as well and waved back; clenching his other hand into a fist as he did so, waving…waving…until the ship became a small dot on the horizon…until it fully disappeared…still waving to the girl who could no longer see him…_

Paul twitched as he opened his eyes. His arm was stretched out in front him, as though reaching out to someone. He sat up quickly and glanced to his left. Laura's green sleeping bag was neatly folded and said girl wasn't in the tent, to Paul's slight surprise. He ran his fingers through his hair. Was that…a dream? No, it was a memory, two to be exact. Distant memories, the second of which he wasn't particularly fond of. He shook his head and got out of his sleeping bag, folded it, pulled on his sweater and stepped outside. He was a little shocked from what he saw.

A collapsible table was set in front of the small lake they had chosen for their campsite. Well, actually Laura had been the one to choose it; Paul was indifferent as usual. His Pokemon (Torterra, Murkrow, Weavile, and Ursuring) were having breakfast with Laura's Pokemon (Venusaur, Salamence, and Beldum). On the table were Cyndaquil and Chimchar, playing with Laura's hat, and Elekid was sitting on the ground next to them, occasionally tossing it's food at Chimchar and laughing unpleasantly. But Laura, much to Paul's surprise, was utterly oblivious to everything. She was sitting on a chair, frowning slightly as she read a magazine held in one hand and twirling a spatula in the other. Her Scizor was sitting next to her on the ground having his meal, striking an image of a knight to his lady in Paul's mind.

Paul walked up to her and she suddenly jumped up from her seat, still frowning down at the magazine. She walked over to the stove next to her and flipped a few pancakes she had been cooking.

"Cyn cynda!" Cyndaquil cried as he jumped up and down frantically.

"Just a minute," Laura muttered, her eyes still on the magazine. Scowling, she closed it and tossed it on the table behind her without looking back and resumed tending to the food. Paul glanced at the magazine. _Trainer's Weekly_, it read. It was popular magazine, read by all kinds of trainers. He riffled through it until he came across the article Laura must have been reading. It was about Cynthia, champion of the Sinnoh Region and her recent victories over trainers that had challenged her. Of course that would have ticked her off…

"Oh good!" Laura said happily as she turned around with two plates of pancakes and placed one in front of him.

"I was just about to come wake you up," she said as she took her seat opposite him. "I gave Torterra some of Venusaur's food, Murkrow's got some of Salamence's and Chimchar's sharing with Cyndaquil. I had to give the others regular food, though. Don't worry; I'll make some for them today." She flashed him another one of her bright smiles and started helping herself to her breakfast. Paul glanced around.

"How long have you been up?" It was only 8:00 a.m., yet somehow everything seemed perfectly arranged.

"6," she said casually as she picked up the magazine, riffled back to a page and buried her nose into it again. Paul stared at her.

"What were you doing so early?"

"Flew around on Salamence, went for a jog with Cyndaquil, hung out with Venusaur…" the magazine spoke vaguely. Paul stared at her again. His eyes traveled over to her Pokemon.

"You brought a full team?"

"Not really," she said vaguely. "Venusaur and Salamence are the only ones fully trained…Cyndaquil hatched yesterday…that's why I was a little late…and Beldum and Scizor haven't been raised at all…."

"You're short one," Paul observed. "Any ideas?"

"I was thinking of Skorupi…Drapion _is_ pretty powerful. Of course he wouldn't be much against Garchomp…Lucario could give him problems too…"

Garchomp…Lucario….of course. Laura was preparing a team strictly for Cynthia. However, she did not seem to be paying attention to what she was saying and was now muttering under her breath. Paul sighed.

"How long are you going to bear this grudge?"

Laura slammed her magazine down and glared at him.

"I am not bearing a _grudge,_" she huffed. Cyndaquil started poking her, begging for more food. She rolled her eyes at him but gave him one of her uneaten pancakes.

"What would you call it then?" Paul frowned as he watched Cyndaquil chomp down on the pancake. Laura bit her lip.

"I don't know," she muttered, glaring at her feet. Chimchar cocked his head before leaping into her lap. She rested a hand on his head.

"I know I'm being stupid," she said suddenly. "I don't need you to tell me that. But you can't honestly expect me to just not feel anything about that damn loss, can you? What would _you_ have done?"

"I would have trained." Paul stood up and returned her glare. His fork clattered as it fell against his empty plate. "I would have trained until I became stronger and challenged her again. And again, until I _finally _won. But that battle wasn't even supposed to determine your strength. It was to see the bond between you and Bulbasaur. People have always praised you for your ability to get along with Pokemon so well. Cynthia wanted to see what you could do with that in battle. But you forgot about that. You lost yourself in that battle. You forgot what the real intention was and focused on nothing but winning."

Laura opened her mouth to counter but closed it, unable to say a thing. He was right.

"I don't need you to tell me that," she hissed again and stood up.

"Char!" Chimchar shouted indignantly as he fell from her lap. Laura clenched her fist tightly, turned on her heel and swiftly walked away. Paul glowered after her but turned his gaze to Scizor, who was staring back at him.

"You might want to go after her," he muttered. Scizor jerked his head in a small nod before getting up and following his master. Paul turned to Chimchar.

"Let's go, Chimchar," he said. "You need to train."

**oOo**

Laura buried her head in her arms. Paul had said everything she already knew but it hurt so much more coming from him. Everything she had tried to ignore. It was her weakness and she hated it. She _knew _she had put her Pokemon after her own desire to win. But…how was she supposed to show the bond –

_CRASH._

Laura leapt to her feet and hid behind a large bush as a tree crashed in front of her, where she had been sitting seconds ago. A group of people in a white uniform and aqua green hair walked into view, trailing behind a woman in a similar uniform and red hair. A snarling Flareon leaped out in front of her.

"Hm, you seem to improving a little, Flareon," the woman smirked. Flareon bared its teeth and suddenly jumped towards the woman. She smirked again.

"Shadow Claw Purugly!" she commanded. A large cat next to her leaped forwards swiftly and shot its claw out towards Flareon.

"Fla-!" Flareon gasped in pain as it felt the hit directly in its stomach. Purugly flicked its paw and sent the poor Pokemon flying towards a tree, where it collapsed in a motionless heap.

"You still don't get it, do you?" the woman smirked. "You are ours to command. I suggest you stop putting up these pointless fights. It's a waste of such exceptional power."

Flareon got its feet, struggling. It snarled vehemently again but collapsed. Laura clenched her fist as she watched the Pokemon.

_*Flashback*_

"_Fire!" Jessie screeched. Meowth slammed his paw on a large red button. 4 missiles fired from the robot, straight towards Laura who was sitting immobilized on the ground._

"_Laura!" Ash shouted in panic. "You've gotta move!"_

I can't, _Laura thought angrily. Her leg had been injured previously. She bit her lip as she tried to look away, hoping this would all be a terrible nightmare – _

"_Flare!" Flareon shot out towards her motionless Trainer and pushed her out of the way._

"_Flare!" Laura gasped. The Pokemon had managed to move her out of the way but had now become the target of the missiles. "Run, Flare! Get out of the way!" Flareon ran, but crashed into a building's wall._

"_Flare," she whimpered. She shook her head and turned around, just in time to see the missiles._

"_Flareon!" Laura screamed suddenly, her eyes huge. "FLAREON, RUN!"_

"_Oh no," Misty whimpered and hid her face. Brock looked sick and Ash stared in shock. Flareon glanced from the missiles to her Trainer slowly, and gave the latter a small smile. Laura stared in shock, her throat dry, as she helplessly watched the missiles collide with her Pokemon. The missiles exploded and engulfed the vicinity in a thick smoke._

"_Flareon!" Laura whimpered, slowly dragging her leg towards the smoke. She collapsed to her knees before the orange fox Pokemon. Her fur was matted in a thick, crimson liquid and her breathing was shallow. Slowly, her eyes half fluttered open as she turned to look at her master one last time before the light seemed to fade from her eyes and she collapsed for the last time._

_*End Flashback* _

"On your feet!" the woman suddenly snapped. "I don't have time for a slacker!"

Flareon struggled to get to its feet, still snarling and spitting violently. Laura felt her throat tighten and she clenched her fist harder, her fingernails digging into her palm. _How…how could someone be so cruel to a Pokemon?_

"Get _up,_" she said in an even harsher tone. Purugly walked forwards and slashed the Pokemon. Perhaps enduring too much pain, Flareon did not react and simply rolled over.

"_Stop it!" _Laura finally jumped out from behind the bushes and stood between the collapsed Flareon and raring Purugly.

"How can you treat a Pokemon like that?" She snarled. "Do you have no respect for them at all?"

"What do you know, little girl?" the woman smirked. "Don't meddle into things that don't concern you. Purugly, show the Little-Miss-Hero why she shouldn't nose in."

"Urug!" Purugly snarled and darted forwards with its claw raised and had almost reached Laura when-

_CLANG_

Scizor's large claw intercepted Purugly's. The feline and mantis Pokemon jumped back to their respective Trainers's side, glaring daggers at each other.

"Scizor?" Laura frowned questioningly. "How-?" She stopped when Paul entered the clearing as well, glaring at the red haired woman. The woman's hand suddenly leaped to her mouth in sudden realization.

"'Hyper active brunette' and a 'solemn companion'?" she wondered, her smirk resuming its place. "Well, well. Laura Woods and Paul Shinji. Fancy meeting you two so soon."

"You know us?" Laura frowned. The woman smirked and tapped a yellow _G_ on her uniform.

"Ring any bells?"

"Team Galactic," Paul growled. Mars's smirk widened.

"Well, well," she said. "Glad to see you're not that slow. But, as I'm sure you two know, now is no time for our battle. We'll meet again." She smirked malevolently at them again as a chopper suddenly descended down upon them. She and her cohorts quickly clambered aboard, leaving the mangled Flareon behind.

"Dammit," Paul hissed as the chopper flew away but Laura, ignoring the chopper completely, was tending to the motionless Flareon.

"What are you doing?" he asked her irritably. She scowled at him.

"What do you think? I can't just leave it here like this." Paul sighed patiently.

"Fine, do whatever you want. Let's just head back to the campsite first, before anymore of those bastards show up." He cast a venomous look around as Laura stood up with the Pokemon in her arms and the two made their way back.

"Here," Paul said gruffly as he handed Laura a Sitrus Berry. She held it towards the unconscious Flareon's mouth. Its nose twitched before it opened its mouth and chomped on the berry hungrily.

"Well, at least it's eating." Laura gently set the Pokemon on the ground. It swayed on the spot for a minute before shaking itself vigorously and regaining its composure. It opened its eyes and took in the surroundings. Its eyes fell on the thing closes to it, Laura. _A human._ Rage suddenly consumed it as it lunged forwards and sank its jaws in the girl's arm. She gave out a strangled cry and leaped back, violently waving her arm until the Pokemon released her.

"What the hell was that for?" she whimpered as she sank to her knees, cradling her bloody arm. Flareon continued to glower at her but turned its attention to Paul who was staring at it with an unfathomable expression. It suddenly cowered and backed off slightly. Laura took the chance and reached for a Pokeball, and a strange one at that. It looked rather similar to a Luxury Ball, but had no kindness of one. Instead of being covered in beautiful gems, sharp pieces of metal covered it and joined together to resemble a lock in front of the button. She squeezed the ball and the wires retreated, and then tossed the ball at Flareon. The ball opened like an ordinary one but instead of a red beam ensnaring the Pokemon, a black beam came out and stayed a moment longer than it should have. But the Pokemon was sucked into the ball like always and it fell to the ground, shaking three times and then becoming motionless. Laura picked up the Pokeball and glared at it before pocketing it and returning her attention to her throbbing arm.

"Let me," Paul muttered. He rummaged through his bag until he pulled out a white cloth and some ointment. In silence, he cleaned her wound and wrapped it in the cloth, securing it with a firm but not painful knot on top.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact and trying to ignore the heat that was rising in her cheeks.

"Why'd you catch it?" Paul asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Huh?"

"Why did you catch that Flareon, even after it attacked you?"

"I…I don't know," she finally mumbled. "I didn't want to just leave it…especially after I let my own Flare down." Paul sighed quietly. He remembered when Laura had called him before, the last time they had so called spoken face-to-face. He had been in Ekruteak City and she was in Lavender Town. She had been sobbing uncontrollably and was barely able to speak a word to him. She really had been attached to that Flareon…

"That's understandable," he muttered. "But you don't have to feel guilty. It wasn't your fault."

Laura glanced up at him and flushed under his intense gaze.

"I-I'm sorry for being stupid today," she stammered. "Running off like that and now this."

"It's okay," he sighed as he placed a hand on her shoulder firmly before getting up. "I'm going out to train. If you need anything, just call." And with that he left, leaving Laura stuck with her own confused thoughts.

**oOo**

**A/N: **I actually enjoyed writing the flashback, because I was listening to Lugia's song and "Together Forever". :) Arceus, I miss the good old days of Pokemon. But the new ones are good too…except Best Wishes. Yuck.

Sorry for all the hugging in the beginning. DX I didn't mean for it to seem so cheap. Yep, you probably guessed right. Michael and Wes are the characters from XD and Colosseum. I absolutely love those two. Let's see…in the flashback, Laura, Paul, Maylene and Michael are 7/8 ish and Wes, Kyle and Reggie are 13/14 ish.

About the "knight to his lady", no I'm not saying Laura's the princess type. Just a sense of Scizor's loyalty and kickassness. And I really wanted to use that for something, I don't know why exactly. :/ Just seemed fun to use.

In case you guys haven't noticed, I've slowed down on these chapters a bit. Reason- 6 AP classes, one of those being US History, apparently the hardest class. I had most of this chapter typed up 2 weeks ago, last day of summer-ish. I just never got around to finishing it since school started. Don't expect another chapter anytime soon. May try to get one up around Winter Break-ish.


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